3 What does the Bible say?

There are a limited number of Bible passages that touch on trans. Deuteronomy 22:5 and 1 Corinthians 6:9 speak of cross dressing and those who have made themselves effeminate to attract other men.

Matthew 19:12 talks about three different types of eunuchs, those born that way (intersex), those made that way (castrated) and those celibate for the kingdom. The wider context is a discussion about marriage in which Jesus reminds a questioner that we are made “male and female” in the image of God. The passage is an example of Jesus upholding the divine pattern while making space in our thinking for people and situations which do not fit neatly into that pattern.

Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch in Act 8 is an important story on the inclusion of the marginalised in the fulfilment of the great commission. The man is described as Ethiopian, probably a gentile, and a person who did not fit within a binary understanding of gender. He was returning from the temple, where he was unlikely to have been welcomed to worship for any of the above reasons. However, he (the text identifies him as a ‘he’) encounters God on the way home.

Isaiah 56:4-5 talks about eunuchs and is another example of the outsider being welcomed in, encouraging churches today to make room for the marginalised, whilst encouraging obedience.

The big story

In Transgender, Vaughan Roberts applies a classic biblical structure to the complex trans questions of our day. The creation narrative speaks of two distinct and compatible biological sexes. Cross-gender identification is a concern because it distorts the creational order of male and female. We live in a fallen world where not every biological or psychological experience is a reflection of God’s will. Within this narrative, gender dysphoria is understood as a result of living in a fallen world, not a result of personal moral choice.

We have been offered the gift of redemption through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. The bodily nature of the resurrection affirms the importance of the human body. As we continue to live in a fallen world we will struggle between our desires and the will of God. God does not rescue us from suffering but redeems us through it. In the new heavens and the new earth we will enjoy the restoration of our bodies and minds. As Oliver O’Donovan notes, “maleness and femaleness forever defines an important aspect of the relationship Christ has to all of us, His church.”v He goes on to note that “how our individual

gender identities will play out in the eschaton is not revealed, but God wants us to forever think of our relationship with Jesus through a monogamous, male/female relational analogy.”vi

Within this larger structure there are some key ideas to be considered with respect to transgender.

The Body - The body has great significance in the biblical text and Christian understanding from creation, through incarnation to the resurrection and ascension. The biblical text affirms the physical differences of the man and the woman as each is created differently. Bodies are not simply things we inhabit, but an integral part of our ‘being in the world’, of who we are. As Christians, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Sex/Gender - The very first reference to humankind differentiates male and female. We are persons, but not merely persons. At a fundamental level, we are men and women.

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27).

The binary ‘male’ and ‘female’ of Genesis 1 is developed into the nouns ‘man’ (’ish) and ‘woman’ (’ishshah), as these are applied to Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:23. Throughout the Bible, biological sex is binary and integral to personhood - biological sex should reveal and determine gender. [As Andrew Sloane notes in Marriage, Family and Relationships, “Intersex should probably be seen as an inscription of a fallen world’s brokenness on particular human bodies and therefore a disability, given the ways it complicates the biology of reproduction.”vii]

While our sense of ‘gender’ is also socially shaped, it is not a mere social construct. God depicts the existence of a man and a woman as essential to His creational plan. The division into male and female is a signifier both of fundamental reality (as our maleness and femaleness play a part in reflecting God’s image) and our future destiny (when the marriage of Christ and His bride, the church, will take place).viii See Ephesians 5:21–33.

Cultural v biblical norms - While some in our culture challenge the very notion of what it is to be a man or a woman, there is also helpful critique of some gender stereotypes. We need to understand what the Bible means when it says we are made ‘male and female’ and not unwittingly accept society’s stereotypes about sex and gender. Being a boy has little to do with going out to play and adventure, and being a girl is not dependant on whether she stays safe inside playing with dolls.

Individualism and ideology - We live in a profoundly individualistic culture, which has its roots in the Enlightenment. Individualism, combined with a desire for authenticity, is a strong stream in the transgender movement. The end goal for many is simple; we should be free to define ourselves as we want, not even nature or our bodies can stop us. The question has moved from “Who am I?” to “What do I identify as?” This way of putting things emphasises chosenness over givenness and changeability over stability.ix

Gnosticism - Gnosticism is an ancient idea with its roots in far eastern mysticism. It is a complex concept claiming special access based on secret knowledge, but it fundamentally sees matter and bodies as fallen and inferior. We can see this idea reflected in statements from transgender people around the idea of a ‘real me’ trapped inside the wrong body - the view that the inner self is paramount and one is free to shape their body to reflect their inner self.

Paul addressed the consequences of Gnosticism in his day. These included sexual licence – if the body is unimportant I am free to do with it as I please; and asceticism – if the body is unimportant I should treat it harshly. Instead, Paul clearly set out in 1 Corinthians 6 that the body is the “temple of the Holy Spirit” and so we should “honour God with [our] body”.

Any form of Christianity that devalues the body and the physical creation in general is deeply problematic. These ideas have more to do with Gnosticism, or ancient Greek Platonism, than following Jesus. While we must all wrestle with the resurgence of these ancient ideas in contemporary culture, they will raise particular issues for those seeking to live biblically with gender dysphoria.